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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22587772">some nights, the winner takes it all</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/woopsforgotadam/pseuds/woopsforgotadam'>woopsforgotadam</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fairy Tail</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Dubious Science, F/M, Fluff, Funeral, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Magic and Science, Original Character Death(s), Research, world building</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 13:20:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,842</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22587772</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/woopsforgotadam/pseuds/woopsforgotadam</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The death of Leona Floros-Dreyar disrupts the somewhat peaceful life the Dreyar family had. With a dead wife and sick son to look after, Ivan Dreyar puts his mind to work to fix something. Anything.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gildarts Clive &amp; Ivan Dreyar (past), Ivan Dreyar &amp; Laxus Dreyar, Ivan Dreyar &amp; Porlyusica, Ivan Dreyar &amp; Rob (Fairy Tail), Ivan Dreyar/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>some nights, the winner takes it all</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p><b>Note</b>: this begins with a funeral. I based four-year old Laxus somewhat on myself and my experience when my grandmother died at that age.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The suit his grandmother put him in was something he was so sure, in his entire life, he would never ever feel comfortable in. She was careful when she tied the well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>tie</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he guessed it was called. Maybe that was why they called it that? He would ask later.  His grandma also made his favorite tea as always so that was good, at least. His grandmother was dressed in the same way, but she wore a dark dress and her hairpin today was a bright colored beetle shape that she let Laxus pick out. In all his years (four ones, but he was a big boy!!) she always let him pick when he was over. None of them were especially bright today, but he had a feeling that it had to do with the suits and the goodbye she mentioned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He just wanted Mommy and Dad. Finally, his grandmother had some good news, she looked out the window of her home and said, “Your father is coming, Laxus.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laxus beamed. He wasn’t sure where Mommy was, he remembered her saying goodbye and she’d be back soon, but his Dad was always there! He ran to the door and he heard his grandmother sigh (he checked and his tie had not come undone by his fast movements). When the door opened, his Dad stood tall, in a suit much like Laxus’ own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mom,” his dad greeted, but Laxus was not to be ignored. He wrapped his tiny arms around his dad’s leg, the most he could hug for the moment. “And of course, Laxus.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laxus suddenly could feel a certain dread in him. He didn’t understand it all. The confusion made his smile die a little, but his grandmother spoke, “He has been full of energy all morning. The medicine must be working.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The one day I hoped he would be tired….” his dad muttered, but still, his father got his leg out of Laxus’ grasp and he did the one thing Laxus wanted at the moment, with this crushing feeling in him: his father lifted him and held him. There was some security in it all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ll wrinkle both your suits, Ivan.” his grandmother said but then she sighed, “you’re both too stubborn.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your daily reminder that we get that from you.” His dad said and he turned to Laxus. “Are you ready, Laxus?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laxus nodded and he frowned and curled into his dad. Ready for what? His grandmother gave him an explanation. Something about saying goodbye to his Mommy. That she was gone. But Laxus said goodbye to her before, why does he have to do it again? And why are they burying her? It was all too confusing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m happy you’re ready, Laxus.” His father told him. They began to walk out into the day. It was a Sunny day. “I don’t think I am.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laxus still didn’t know what that meant, but he did feel the sinking feeling deepen. So he held onto his dad tighter. His dad didn’t seem to mind. His grandmother walked ahead of them and Laxus focused on her hairpin instead. It comforted him, in a way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they got to their destination, the place had a giant tent and he could see a podium, lots of flowers and rows of seats. There were even more people in suits! Even Auntie Isley had one! But Aunty Jio wore a black dress. They both looked so sad when the three of them approached but no one said much. It was near the Fairy Tail guild hall, Laxus noticed, but he didn’t see his grandfather today, which was weird. There were a lot of mages here. Still holding onto his dad, Laxus asked him, “Where’s Grandpa?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am sure he is running late, Laxus.” His dad said, but there was a hardness to his dad’s eyes that Laxus had never seen before. “I need to put you down now, Laxus. You can hold onto my hand until I have to speak, okay? You’ll be right next to your grandmother.” Laxus nodded. When his feet touched the ground, he held on tightly to his dad’s hand and they walked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Some people were already sitting. He saw that Auntie Isley and Auntie Jio were directing others. There were mages from all over, Laxus noticed. There was a man with sunglasses that was already talking to his grandmother, but he couldn’t tell what they were saying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When his dad brought them to some seats, his grandmother and her friend were sitting down again. His dad, as promised, left him in a seat between his dad and his grandmother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have to go make sure everything else is ready. With the. Coffin.” his Dad said to his grandmother and the sunglasses man. He turned to Laxus again. “Stay with your grandmother, Laxus, okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laxus nodded. “I will Dad.” He felt...so lost already. As his Dad left to go back where they came, Laxus sat up on his knees and looked around. A lot of the people were mages he knew from Fairy Tail. Wakaba looked almost unrecognizable because he didn’t smoke from his pipe. He was also wearing a suit. Same with Macao! His dad was talking with Auntie Isley and Auntie Jio and the three of them left his sight from the edge of the tent. Laxus caught sight of Gildarts, but he was...way in the back and had his head in his hands. Laxus wanted to go ask him what was wrong, Gildarts, Laxus knew, was a sensitive type, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay in your sear, Laxus, dear.” His grandmother said. Laxus turned his head and she was smiling at him, even if it looked sad. Why was she so sad? “Remember what your father said?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laxus sighed but nodded. He sat properly and his grandmother’s hand on his shoulder was warm. Luckily, it stayed there. “This is my friend, Goldmine, Laxus. He is also a friend of Rob’s.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that, Laxus became excited. He has yet to see Rob but if this guy was a friend of Rob’s, then he was already cool. To be friends with Rob </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>his grandmother? The coolest. He told the man as such and the man, Goldmine laughed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Looks like this kid as a good head on his shoulders, Sica.” Goldmine told his grandmother. His grandmother rolled her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re biased because he compliment you, Goldmine.” His grandmother rubbed his back and smiled at Laxus, “but you do have a point, I think.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now, </span>
  <em>
    <span>you’re </span>
  </em>
  <span>biased because he’s your grandson.” Goldmine pointed out. “It is wonderful to meet you, Laxus. Sorry it is under such sad circumstances.” The levity that built up in the air faded at that. Laxus frowned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Right. It was a farewell ceremony for his Mommy. Which still confused Laxus because she said she’d be back! But she wasn’t back yet. How could he say goodbye again if he didn’t see her? Laxus frowned and tried his best to remember two days ago, when his dad tried to explain to him what had happened. Some sort of accident, though his father did mention his grandpa and Gilly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a blink and a sudden realization, he remembered the words that his dad used. With an overwhelming sadness, too big for his body, he remembered that his Mommy was dead. He supposed, with a glance around at some people, they knew what it meant before Laxus could grasp it. It made sense, the way his dad was acting, checking up on him more than usual, gone and there the next moment: the silences. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His Mommy was dead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laxus blinked a few times. He didn’t want to make people worried and they were in the front row, right before the arrangement of flowers. Everyone could see him. His grandmother, ever a watchful guardian, seemed to realize this and she brought him closer to her and he leaned his head against her side. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t sure if it was sooner or later, but his Dad came back. There was music playing now, a low piano sound. Laxus blinked open his eyes and wiped some of the tears with his hands really quickly and Dad sat down in the open chair next to Laxus. Wordlessly, Laxus moved from his grandmother to his Dad, who accepted him with no words. Laxus cried softly against his Dad and his Dad rubbed his back. Above him, the adults spoke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are no longer going to speak?” he heard Goldmine say in a whisper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rob offered to do it and I…” his dad’s voice broke off. “Laxus needs me.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s alright, Ivan.” His grandmother said, her voice just as quiet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The music stopped and Laxus heard Rob speaking. He turned his head at a weird angle and saw Rob in a suit, talking at the front. In the empty space around the flowers was now...what Laxus would call a coffin. Laxus looked away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His Mommy was there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laxus held tightly onto his father’s hand at the graveyard. It was a smaller group of people now. Auntie Jio’s eyes were red, but there were no tears that he saw. Auntie Isley’s hand was shaking just a bit. Gilly was there as well, but he said nothing the entire time and seemed uncomfortable. When Laxus caught his eyes, Gilly looked away. His grandmother, Goldmine and Rob were here. There was a man in a dark purple suit with a much taller man beside him. His grandpa was still missing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And in the middle of the circle they made, his Mommy’s coffin was lowered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Laxus,” his dad said. His voice was far away. “Grab some dirt with me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laxus nodded, he was scared to speak. He didn’t want to start sobbing again. This would probably be the only time he could wear something this fancy and touch dirt. But it was not very exciting. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With one hand still in his dad’s he grabbed dirt with his dad and watched his dad pour some over his Mommy’s coffin. Laxus followed his lead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then, he began sobbing again. His father picked him up and held him close, heard him say something and he could tell they were walking away.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>A month after the Funeral for Leona, Laxus was sick again. The medicine this time, worked for six weeks before his magic attacked his immune system. Ivan wrote this down in his journal once he was able to treat his son’s symptoms. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was late at night, the moon was high in the sky. In the weaker moments, he could almost imagine that Leona was just on a quest, but he knew that playing into that fiction would cause more heartbreak. She was gone. And there was nothing he could do. It was all he could do to just hold it together enough for Laxus and be there for his son. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan rubbed a hand over his growing stubble. Shaving lost its appeal some few weeks ago and he did not remember the last time he bothered. Perhaps it was the day of the Funeral. His fist clenched at the memories. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How dare </span>
  <em>
    <span>he </span>
  </em>
  <span>show up? How dare He </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>show up? Maybe nothing either of them could ever do or have done (except change the quest, of course, but no that was Far Too Simple) would ever erase Ivan’s ire. Ever erase the fact that he woke up every morning in a bed too big for one person and knew that she was gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan groaned. He had much more important things to do at the moment. He had a sick child to tend to, a grieving child. Laxus was far too young to comprehend the true loss, but every adult keenly felt that loss. Isley and Jio left the Guild today. Gildarts left before that, off on another long quest. A runaway because he couldn’t confront what he had done, for sure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was just Ivan stuck here in Magnolia. With his ghosts and the one dependent he had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rubbed at his eyes and willed himself to focus, focus on the task at hand. Before him were many papers on his desk. His journal was closed, the ink dried, and he had to find another way to help Laxus. His fever was not as high as it could be, he knew this, but he could not lose Laxus. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>can’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>lose Laxus, the last tangible part of Leona to grace this world.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There had to be a way. He knew of cases that spoke of this illness for children with magic was Too Much. The bureau of Magic Development was something Leona and Ivan discussed, but it said plainly that they would take the children in and both of them didn’t trust that. They wanted to see every step with their own eyes. They did not trust their child with anyone but their loosely defined family. Now that Leona was </span>
  <em>
    <span>gone </span>
  </em>
  <span>did not change that for Ivan. If anything, he trusted Laxus’ wellbeing with just himself and his own mom. Not Makarov. Not Gildarts. Maybe Isley and Jio, but they are gone now too.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Focus, Ivan, you idiot,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he chided himself. Ivan picked up one of the research articles and it was quite ironic that it was part of the papers his mom had written. He scanned it, she specialized in Lacrima, but she was a healer. She came from a world where Lacrima was magic so her opinions on magic and the like were always different. Something more interesting than some other’s drivel. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lacrima, though. It can mix well with magic. Can one put Lacrima in a person? His Mom had theories on it. But it can be dangerous, very dangerous. It seems it depends on the type of Lacrima. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>A strong Lacrima</span>
  </em>
  <span>…Ivan mused. What could be the strongest cut of Lacrima? And could it even cure the sickness that plagued his son, or would it work as something of a cure, something that could even out the odds? He didn’t care if his son was strong or not, but it seemed that it would take a strong Lacrima. He figured it would probably have to match his own son’s magical affinity. Like blood transfusions. The clogs were finally turning in his brain and Ivan, for the first time in a month, felt something akin to happiness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan took out a separate journal and wrote his questions down. It would be an all nighter, then. That was fine, he needed to check on Laxus every hour anyway.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>It seemed that his Dad was almost busier than normal since the funeral. Laxus was not used to being inside, even when he felt better. He guessed that this wasn’t one of those feeling better days, but he could breathe normally. If his Dad wasn’t checking up on him and making sure he didn’t have a fever, then he was in his study with all those boring books.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laxus sighed. He was bored. He would even take a trip to the bookstore again rather than being cooped up. His Mommy used to take him outside more. Laxus frowned. She was gone, though. So Laxus did what any kid would do. He went into their small backyard and began to dig. Maybe if he dug a bunch, he could find treasure like in those adventure books. That, at least, was his goal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He got a beach shovel from their basement storage and went outside. His Dad was still in the Study and did not notice, but he sat down on the dirt ground and began his process.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sun was bright, but it felt nice to Laxus. It was much better to be digging this dirt than to sit inside and be bored. His Mommy was in the dirt now, but. She was gone and not coming back. So, Laxus dug and dug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Laxus. What are you doing?” His Dad’s voice made him look up. The hole he had was about as wide as his hand and as long as his arm. There was dirt on his face, he knew (because he wiped some off of his face) and all over his knees. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hi Dad, I’m digging treasure.” He told his dad. He dipped his hand with the shovel and dug a bit deeper and added some more dirt to his growing pile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, I see.” His dad stepped out into daylight and to Laxus’ joy, sat across from him on the ground. “Did you find any yet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laxus shook his head. “Nah, but I did find some cool worms.” Laxus picked one up from his pile and presented it to his dad. “I named him Mr. Slimey.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His dad’s face wrinkled a bit, but he took the worm from Laxus and inspected it. He did it like most things his Dad did: with intense observation and probably with some weird science. He handed the worm back to Laxus, who then placed Mr. Slimey back into the dirt pile. “Did you know, Laxus, that worms, specifically earthworms like those, are both male and female? Meaning they can be a Mommy or a Daddy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laxus grinned. “Really? That’s weird.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is it?” his Dad hummed. “I find it fascinating, everything evolves into what it needs to survive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laxus shrugged. “Want to dig with me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did make your lunch,” his Dad said. Laxus was ready to get told to clean up and eat, but he smiled when he saw his dad roll back his sleeves. “I can always re-heat it for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yay! Let’s find treasure!” His dad took the shovel from Laxus and Laxus was amazed to see how much deeper his dad could dig. And he made better holes, but Laxus ran inside to get the other shovel. His enthusiasm made the digging a lot faster than his dad’s careful digging.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By the time his dad did make him go clean up and eat, Laxus’ face was flush with the heat from the sun and he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>pretty hungry. He knew he was due for a bath later, too, but for once he didn’t mind. He got his nerdy dad to dig for treasure and that was good enough for him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Halfway through his noodles, his dad came back from the outside and held a little toy in his hands. Laxus had never seen it before and his dad placed it on their kitchen table. “I found this in your dirt pile and cleaned it. It seems there was treasure there after all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laxus grinned and swallowed his food and reached for it. It was smooth and looked a little like rock. He looked between that and his and dad. “See! I told you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did,” his dad sat across from him. “Perhaps tomorrow when I take you to your grandmother’s, you can tell her about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laxus frowned. “I’m going to grandmother’s?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His dad nodded. “Yes. I have to go for a bit. I will be back in one week  and she can take care of you, Laxus.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will you really be back?” Laxus asked him. His dad’s eyes were a darker shade than his own (and his Mommy’s) but they always held a light in them. Laxus saw them now and felt suddenly serious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I promise you, Laxus. I will be.” His dad said and with that promise, Laxus nodded. He placed the toy down and began eating again. Seemingly satisfied, his dad got up from the table and moved about in the kitchen. He presented Laxus with his milk and his medicine and Laxus smiled at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His dad did take good care of him.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>A year had passed and now Laxus was five years old. His birthday this year was quieter than the one before, but the child still did request a lemon flavored cake and Ivan had come through despite the slight hurt. The weeks leading up to his birthday were met with fevers, coughing fits and a lot of sleep. He still was not breathing right on the day of, but the boy felt good enough to eat his slice of cake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The people in attendance were Rob, his mom and Makarov. Needless to say, they all put up a good effort of good behavior for the benefit of Laxus. Ivan had broken only once for the entire day so he was calling it a victory.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should let me bring him to the guild,” his father had said, “might be more excitement for the young lad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah yes, bring a child who has issues breathing to a place filled with smoke and alcohol, that will be a perfect idea, Father.” Ivan had replied. And that was the one spark of bitterness. Makarov had glared, but did not argue because at that moment, Laxus came into the kitchen with his grandmother to request a fresh glass of milk. His mother also gave them both a rather pointed look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now, it was nighttime and Laxus had fallen asleep in his bedroom. All tucked in and Ivan had been doing the nightly check ups. His chest stuttered through breaths and giving up, Ivan set up his research in the boy’s bedroom. All he needed was a little light and his papers, he could sit against the wall and place his journal on his lap.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His journal open he read through it and cross referenced with different articles. His list was simple and encoded for his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>L→M p? ✓</span>
</p><p>
  <span>D? Res? Mc✗ Com✗Ex✗</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Con. Pwr. Destr.? Rre?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tst. L→MgCr</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lim. Nhm. Sckn in M.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tst. L→NMC.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lim. Nmgc. Snkn in M.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The pages were filled with such notes. Some detailed experiments he already did and others, ideas he has yet to explore. Some cases were because of the nature of various Lacrima and how rare they are. The expenses were not</span>
  <em>
    <span> so much</span>
  </em>
  <span> of an issue with all he had saved up over the years as well as the selling off of some gifts he got on quests. He was lucky he did have two or three lacrima gifted to him before that he could run tests on. He marked out communication lacrima the first time he even thought of it: no way that would be possible. The rest he ran on Magical Container Lacrima had been good, but not good enough. The Magical creature he had was weakened after the experiment. Ivan put it down to save it from suffering. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were of course the limitations of experiments. He could not test on other humans, which meant he had perfect the method on a nonhuman before he even attempted on Laxus. The biggest risk he needed to have was that the Lacrima would absorb any magical capacity Laxus had. The boy would never be a mage, but he would live past the age of fourteen. He may resent Ivan for it, surrounded by Mages as he was, but he at least </span>
  <em>
    <span>live </span>
  </em>
  <span>to resent him. Ivan would gladly take that resentment rather than bury his son with Leona.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked up from his journal to Laxus, he was struggling at the moment, but he was breathing. Ivan put the papers down neatly and approached the bed. He lifted his hand and let his healing magic glow on his hand and the light spread over his son. His breathing smoothed out and the boy rolled over on his side with a light kick of his blankets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan shook his head, but smiled. He fixed the blankets and returned to his spot. The magic would help him rest peacefully. In the morning, he would try out the new medicine his mom gave him. Laxus would live to count his age past one hand, Ivan would make sure of that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He couldn’t lose Laxus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan poured over his notes once more.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The wind was cold on his face, but Ivan did not care. He had a goal and according to the rumors, it was atop the highest mountain in Northern Fiore and that was where he was going to go. Laxus was safe with his grandmother and Rob was in Magnolia as well when Ivan left. He could use Rob right now, some Fire magic would be nice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Ivan dressed appropriately. The fur lining on his jacket kept his face somewhat warm and his gloves were thick. He could still use magic just fine. He had some hiking gear and was thankful for his years as a mage that prepared him to make it to the Summit. At the bottom of the mountain, the clerk had asked him if he was trained enough and all Ivan did to shut him up was show his Fairy Tail guild mark on his right wrist. The man was silenced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Either the man trusted him as a guild mage or thought Fairy Tail mages were stupid enough to do without the training. Ivan didn’t care, as long as the clerk shut up. He knew his limitations and he was prepared to do anything </span>
  <em>
    <span>but </span>
  </em>
  <span>die to get his hands on the rumor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rumor was that there was a place on the top of the Summit where Resurrection Lacrima grew. It was a rare Lacrima that one needed to buy for many jewels in Era. But Ivan would rather try this one out, just to see. It could also be said that Lacrima made with highly concentrated magical energy from a dead, but once powerful mage, could be better used for Ivan’s purposes. It would be more pure than what Era put out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If the rumors were right, a Healer Mage died on this mountain a few hundred years ago, died as a kindly hermit who healed many people in their lifetime. The legend in the area says if you die on the mountain, that very same healer will lead you to the afterlife. Ivan did not care about the afterlife part, but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>care about the idea of a powerful mage dying in the summit of the mountain. The northern regions of Fiore were always more religious than Ivan would ever be in his life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The climb itself was as tough as it was said to be after the three kilometers, the ascent was more walking and packing himself through that. He had to wonder how kind this healer mage was to make people climb all this way to be healed. Then again, it is entirely possible they made the descent and ascent themselves. Powerful mages had an easier time with such things than the average person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Ivan was that kind of mage. He did not even have to use the climbing gear he had until the last fifty meters to the very top. The wind and snow blocked his view from faraway but he could make out a dark shadow. It could be an entrance to a cave and if it was, then his freezing limbs would appreciate it to be out of this wind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan pulled himself up and dragged his body into the cave. He rolled onto his back and closed his eyes. At least, at the </span>
  <em>
    <span>very </span>
  </em>
  <span>least, he was more active than people thought. He let himself catch his breath before he opened his eyes. It was not as dark as he thought it would be. He smiled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stood and walked in, the place was covered with ice but there was some light lacrima around that illuminated the cave enough that he felt this trip was not at all in vain. He was careful to walk on the ice and he rubbed his hands together so he could feel some semblance of warmth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(He was not in danger of hypothermia, because he did not feel any warmth again, so he had that going for him at least.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew he had found what he was looking for when in the center of a cave was a giant piece of lacrima. Bigger than any he had ever seen before. There were also ancient fabric around, filled with moth holes. Most likely eaten away by time, in the few hundred or so years since its owner had died. The light emitting from the Lacrima was so bright, his eyes squinted from the sheen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan walked slowly towards the center and he reached out with a gloved hand in the center of the cavern. The pure magical energy this emitted was so strong, he wondered how he did not feel it from miles away. He reached into his bag for his journal and began to write down what he observed. He felt warm, so he assumed the Resurrection Lacrima was already working on healing him just a bit. It was said that they only worked on those close to death, but that </span>
  <em>
    <span>could </span>
  </em>
  <span>be the ones that were sold in Era.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This one would be different from all of those. This one would be in his most purest form. Ivan smiled when he closed his book. This one could work, but he had to check to make sure, test it on test subjects. If anything, this could help Laxus with his symptoms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But. A thought came to him. If he used it on Laxus, it could only work if he was close to death. He had to test it because that line of thought led him to accidentally making his son immortal. But still sick. Unless he was close to death.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan took out a chivel. The Lacrima was big enough that he could break pieces off and leave plenty enough behind: he did not want to carry the entire thing down the mountain. It would also feel cheap to do so. It was a wonder of nature and magic. It was also something he felt should be kept a secret, lest those pesky treasure hunters got ahold of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Planting little toys and trinkets for his son to dig up and be proud of in their backyard was one thing. Destroying artefacts such as these and stealing them would be another. Ivan was looking to cure his son, at the least, but he did not need this entire Lacrima to do it. Besides, this should have limited use unless he wanted to make an immortal or overpower his son’s immune system.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan peeled enough pieces off and placed them in a container and put them back in his bag. He made sure everything was secure and to the silence of the cave, he spoke his first words in the last day and a half. “Thank you, Healer-sama. I will use this sparingly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan might need to speak to someone soon, because he felt as if he were going insane when he saw the light shine brighter for a beat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan did not return home right away, no. He had to go to his private lab off the edge of Chrysanthemum city.  There, he owned many Ravens that he had been using for non magical creature subjects. They were well fed and tended to, but he also did use them as test subjects. Ravens in general were smarter than the average bird and they seemed to flock around the lab anyway. It made sense to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He began the process. He extracted a lacrima part, placed it on one side of the table. He got his scalpels cleaned and ready and the table all ready. He put one Raven, an injured one with a broken wing, down under so it wouldn’t feel the pain. He secured the Raven to the table and turned on the overhead lamp and got his Loupe ready.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once the Lacrima was inside the Raven safely, he stitched it back up and waited. He waited for it to wake up and checked the vitals. So far, everything is going well. He placed it under his care and for observation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few hours later, it woke up and it cried. He gave the bird some food and water and watched it eat normally. The drugs were in the bird’s system and it moved slowly, but to his amazement, the bird could fly once more. The wing had fixed itself once the Raven was able to move around. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The next few days were spent watching that Raven. He tagged it with Subject M, as it was not the first to awake from a surgery like this. The Raven seemed to be doing fine. It was socializing with others and there was nothing bad going on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another injured Raven made its way to Ivan’s lab soon after. This one had a shredded left wing. Ivan repeated the process. Subject L was as successful as Subject M. The pair seemed to even be close for birds </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Four days later, Ivan watched as Subject M fell from the sky from a Shikigami attack. He was ready for the worst of it, to see that the surgery proved to be a failure, but instead, the Raven got back up and cawed and flew to him for more food. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan sighed. As he feared. It would bring the subject back from the brink. Ivan’s eyes widened as he realized what he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He now has two basically immortal Ravens to care for.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is going to be a long process.” He muttered to no one but himself. He also figured this would be an update only he would need to know about. He took out his journal and crossed out Lres. None of </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>would be used on Laxus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>(Ivan did not like the idea of having an immortal child.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he got back to Magnolia, he was gone for a few days longer than he had planned. Magnolia forest greeted him in the early morning and by the time he made it to his Mom’s home in this place; the sun had just risen into the sky. Ivan fished around in his pockets for his key and by the time he retrieved it, his Mom opened the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was not yet dressed for the day (it was early) and she gave him a critical once over before she said, “You were later than you told me, Ivan.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed. “I know and I apologize.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was worried.” His mom said and he saw behind her stern exterior, she let go of some tension. “Laxus missed you terribly as well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan smiled a bit at that. “I won’t die on these trips, Mom. No need to worry.” Anything short of death, he promised both his son, his wife’s memory and his mother. He dare not promise himself anything. “Is he faring well?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I gave him some more medicine yesterday and he was running around the entire time with Rob. They visited Makarov,” at Ivan’s face his mom added, “Laxus wanted to see him, Ivan don’t give me that look.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Apologies, Mom.” Ivan rubbed his hand over his face. He had more facial hair now. When was the last time he shaved again? He shook his head and offered his Mom a tired smile. “It’s not you and well, if Laxus wants to see Makarov that is fine, I suppose.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once more, he saw his mom relax just a bit. But not enough to truly be at ease. “I fear, of course, that influence but it seems genuine.” His mom said and then she shook her head. “I’ll make us some tea and you can rest here while Laxus sleeps. You need it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan, long used to his mother, did not stop her. He knew better, after all. </span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Laxus’ sixth birthday had snuck up on Ivan in some ways and in other ways, not at all. He had been busy working with his Lacrima and more and more experiments were becoming successes. His work on magical creatures gave him more foundation than the ones on the Ravens, but he halted on trying anything more than that until he had everything together. He had theories and theories, lists and explanations behind failures as well as success. But he would not do anything until he was sure it would work with no long-lasting damage to Laxus. It was a high bar but it was the only one he was willing to work with. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the day of his birthday, it was very similar to the boy’s last birthday. Makarov was in attendance, as well as Ivan’s mom and Rob was there. There was lemon cake, baked to perfection by Ivan using….Leona’s recipe and he only allowed himself a few tears at that. The wound, would it ever close? Ivan was not sure. But he could be there for his son and when Laxus looked over the moon at the cake, Ivan could relax, just a bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re doing well, Ivan.” Rob said in the kitchen. In the backyard, his mom was supervising Makarov’s play with Laxus. Ivan was cleaning the various dishes for now and Rob was helping him dry. “Though, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>should </span>
  </em>
  <span>really sleep more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I get enough sleep.” Ivan told Rob. He cleaned the knife carefully. “I am thankful that you watched Laxus last week. I know it is unfair to you and my mom to ask him when I have to go but…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Say no more, Ivan.” Rob said. His voice was always a calm comfort to Ivan. A pillar, even. Strange, for a fire mage, but then again the warmth it always brought was not so strange. “You know I am always there for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are.” Ivan smiled, just a bit. “And I am lucky to have that support.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rob laughed and gently nudged him. “I am lucky to have you and Laxus around. You’re mother as well. You and Laxus are good at keeping me away from jobs at times and I think that is your mom’s long term goal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan snorted. “You know she worries.” His mom always worried about those she loved. He wondered when she would stop the appraisal of him every time he showed up. Searching for holes in his armor. Not so she could take advantage of them, not like others, not but so she could find a way to help. Ivan knew her and they both knew what Ivan did when he left for long periods of time or took a Quest that seemed far below his calibur as an S-Class mage, but. They never spoke it out loud. Ivan did not want to show her a failure or have her be involved, just in case. He was cautious. Perhaps too cautious. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That she does. It’s always more alarming when she stops.” Rob agreed after a moment. Ivan wondered about that and the closest situation he could think to parallel that to was his mom and Makarov’s marriage. Perhaps, at the very least, between all the unspoken words there was hope for Ivan yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All dishes were cleaned and dried now and Ivan reached for a towel to dry his hands a bit, lest he rub them on his pants. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Perhaps we should join them outside. Though I do think I hear Laxus detailing all the treasure he’s found here to Makarov.” Ivan noted, his eyes on the outside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve spoiled him, not I have to dig in places to give him something to look for. He is convinced he could find dinosaur fossils and now I have to see if I can find any.” Rob told Ivan and Ivan laughed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That would be my fault, I think.” Ivan admitted. Laxus seemed to enjoy dinosaurs for now. Far less slime than worms. And less expensive than his hairpin kick that he undoubtedly got from his grandmother. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Today, in fact, he had a pin in the shape of a dinosaur hairpin that cropped the blond hairs that tended to fall around his face. The best of both worlds, for sure. Ivan wondered how long it would be to convince Laxus to let Ivan cut his hair. Like father like son, though, both were quite stubborn. The last time Ivan attempted to cut his hair, the boy refused until Ivan relented and let him keep it a tad longer for his hairpins. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It the least Ivan could do for him, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rob rubbed Ivan’s back as the pair made their way to the outside where Laxus was currently spewing all the dinosaur facts he knew at Makarov. When Ivan appeared, Laxus turned and smiled at Ivan and called out to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dad! Tell Grandpa about the uh..the uh...the Brac...Brachiosoars!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan smiled. “Brachiosaurus, or the long necked dinosaur.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah! Them!” Laxus turned to Makarov and said, “They’re my favorite.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are they?” Makarov asked and at Laxus’ nod, Makarov turned to Ivan and said, “Then I must know everything about them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Normally, between a conversation with Makarov and swallowing glass, Ivan would prefer the latter. But. It was Laxus’ birthday and his son seemed too excited. So Ivan nodded and, at Laxus’ behest, began.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Dad was busy all the time, always in his study. Some days, Laxus would only see him when they ate and even then, it seemed his Dad was so focused on something else. It felt like, at times, that his Dad would only be there if Laxus was having a bad day. If he was sick. He was not sure how to feel about that, so he put most of his energy into his dinosaurs for now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a rare time when his dad had to go somewhere that Laxus was left at Fairy Tail guild, under the eye of his grandfather. Normally, Laxus would spend these days (or once, a good few </span>
  <em>
    <span>weeks</span>
  </em>
  <span>) with his grandma or Rob. Laxus missed his Dad though, he always did. Sometimes, even when his dad was home Laxus missed him. His Dad assured him, though, more recently than ever that soon it would be all over. His Dad tried to explain to him that he was working so that Laxus wouldn't be sick anymore. And that seemed fun, because Laxus hated being sick. He couldn't do anything but sleep and feel terrible. Sometimes, he cried because it hurt and felt gross. Those times, his Dad was always there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But today, he wasn't sick! He was coloring the dinosaurs his favorite colors and, as his dad instructed, did not go near Macao or Wakaba because of the smoke that followed them. Laxus wished Rob were here though, because Rob liked to explore with him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But mercy came. The doors crashed open and with glee, Laxus watched as Gildarts came through the doors. All thoughts of dinosaurs disappeared from the boy’s mind as he jumped out of his bench and rammed through the small crowd and yelled “GILDARTS!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gildarts seemed shocked to see Laxus there, but the shock came off the man’s face soon enough. Laxus held up his arms and the man dutifully picked him up and Laxus smiled at him. “I was so bored here! Rob is on a quest and Grandma is at some...uh...conference. Grandpa is busy being a Guildmaster.” Laxus was quick to explain. “And! It’s been so long!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It has. The last time Laxus could think he saw Gildarts was...at his mom’s goodbye ceremony. Other than that, Laxus had not seen him. When he asked, his Dad would look upset and change the subject. His grandmother explained he was on a long quest. Gildarts seemed happy to see him at the least.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, Laxus, let’s ditch this boring join then.” Gildarts said easily. He turned to some of the others, “Is Makarov in the back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The bar.” Answered one of the mages. “If the kid is taking you, we’ll see you tomorrow. He tires more out than a quest does.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>GIldarts laughed and turned to Laxus as they walked into the Guild Hall more. “What have you been doing to tire them all out?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mostly stick to Rob,” Laxus informed Gildarts, “because they’re all <em>boring</em>! I’ve been searching for dinosaur fossils. I found one at Grandma’s place! It was really small though, so I think it was just a baby one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A baby dinosaur for a baby.” Gildarts jokes and Laxus pouted immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not a baby! I’m six!” Laxus informed him. Sure, he liked being held but it was Gildarts! Gildarts was always easily climbable because of how tall he was. How else was Laxus supposed to enjoy Gildarts?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gildarts seemed surprised. “You’re six now?” He let out a breath and Laxus nodded at him. “It’s already been two years then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Laxus shrugged. “Dad is busy in study most of the time, it’s been a slow two years.” At the mention of his father, Gildarts seemed to get a bit sad. The same way his dad did. “But! I can tell you all about the dinosaurs! I left my hairpin at home, but Rob got it for me, it has my favorite ones on it! The long necked ones. I want a long neck. Grandpa can give himself a long neck sometimes and I want to do that too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Gildarts seemed to brighten up a bit about the dinosaurs. Maybe Gildarts like them too. “I’d love to hear about them, Laxus. Is this your station?” and Laxus twisted around in Gildarts’ arm to see that the man ahd indeed brought them to the table where Laxus vacated earlier. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you know?!” Laxus asked Gildarts. In response, he got booming laughter.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>He finally found it. Ivan laughed and it came out strange, not like his normal laughter, the pitch was high but he didn’t care. He didn’t care about anything else at the moment because he found it! He knew if he followed the same path he took with the other lacrima’s he would find it! And he did! And everything was going to be alright! He finally got to win!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Five hundred years ago, when Dragons roamed the world, there were no shortage of supply of their rare magic power. That was then. Now, it was rare to find a dragon lacima. Not impossible, but hard. And, to think, he was able to trace old runes and legends and listen to all that and finally be able to find this. Lightning Dragon Lacrima.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A power Lacrima, one that matched with his own son’s affinity. It would work. It has to work. It’s never been done, but Ivan now had a bunch of lacrima powered creatures and Ravens at his lab that all seemed to exist with the non-powered up ones fairly well. All it did was make them stronger but none of it seemed to corrupt the samples. They were fine.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ivan could barely contain his smile because, “I did it, Leona. I found a way to save our son.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All he had to do was get to the sample, take enough from the large crystal Lacrima to be able to be enough, not not too much, to implant in Laxus. Then he had to do the operation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But. Ivan won this time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The wasteland of lightning terrain was just one last thing in his way.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>It feels rushed even to me, but I could only go on for so long between showing Ivan's research and how Laxus feels about it. And we all know what ended up happening anyway, the forgone conclusion of Ivan successfully planting Laxus with the dragon lacrima and making Laxus a second-gen dragon slayer. If anything, I would write an installment on the year of training for Laxus and Ivan with these new abilities leading up to Ivan's excommunication.</p><p>oh well! I hope you enjoyed it for now!</p><p>fun fact: laxus' phases go from worms, to hairpins, to dinosaurs and then finally, to music.</p><p>also: i sort of based lacrima loosely from materia from ffvii. specifically, that scene where zack, cloud, tifa and sephiroth find the materia caves in nibelheim.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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